What This Bill Does
This bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to immediately restart quarterly oil and gas lease sales on federal land. These sales must follow existing federal law for mineral leasing and environmental review.
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Who It Affects
- The Secretary of the Interior (federal official who manages public lands)
- Oil and gas companies seeking to lease federal land
- States where federal oil and gas leasing occurs: Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Nevada, Alaska, and any other state with available federal oil and gas land
- Congress (receives reports about missed sales)
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Key Provisions
- The Secretary of the Interior must immediately resume quarterly oil and gas lease sales following all required environmental analysis, public comment periods, and scoping under existing mineral leasing law (Sec. 1(a)(1))
- Each year, the Secretary must conduct at least four oil and gas lease sales in Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Nevada, Alaska, and any other state with available federal oil and gas land (Sec. 1(b)(1))
- The Secretary must offer all nominated and eligible land parcels for lease sales in these states (Sec. 1(b)(2))
- If a required lease sale is canceled, delayed, or fewer than 25 percent of offered land receives bids, the Secretary must hold a replacement sale that same year (Sec. 1(b)(3))
- The Secretary must notify Congress within 30 days if any required lease sale is missed, explaining which sale and why (Sec. 1(b)(4))
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What Changes
The Secretary of the Interior must immediately restart oil and gas lease sales that may have stopped or been delayed. The bill requires a minimum of four sales per year in specific states and mandates replacement sales if required sales do not occur or receive insufficient bids.
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Important Definitions
- **Eligible lands**: All federal land available for leasing that is not prohibited by law or regulation (Sec. 1(a)(3))
- **Available lands**: Federal land designated as open for leasing in a land use plan, nominated for leasing, subject to drainage without leasing, or otherwise designated as available by the Secretary (Sec. 1(a)(3))
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Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1043
To restore onshore energy production.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 14, 2023
Mr. ROSENDALE (for himself, Mr. CARL, Mrs. BOEBERT, and Mr. MCCLIN-
TOCK) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Natural Resources
A BILL
To restore onshore energy production.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. ONSHORE OIL AND GAS LEASING.
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(a) REQUIREMENT TO IMMEDIATELY RESUME ON-
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SHORE OIL AND GAS LEASE SALES.—
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(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Inte-
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rior shall immediately resume quarterly onshore oil
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and gas lease sales in compliance with the Mineral
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Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.).
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(2) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of the Inte-
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rior shall ensure—
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(A) that any oil and gas lease sale pursu-
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ant to paragraph (1) is conducted immediately
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on completion of all applicable scoping, public
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comment, and environmental analysis require-
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ments under the Mineral Leasing Act (30
5
U.S.C. 181 et seq.) and the National Environ-
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mental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
7
seq.); and
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(B) that the processes described in sub-
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paragraph (A) are conducted in a timely man-
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ner to ensure compliance with subsection (b)(1).
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(3) LEASE OF OIL AND GAS LANDS.—Section
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17(b)(1)(A) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C.
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226(b)(1)(A)) is amended by inserting ‘‘Eligible
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lands comprise all lands subject to leasing under this
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Act and not excluded from leasing by a statutory or
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regulatory prohibition. Available lands are those
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lands that have been designated as open for leasing
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under a land use plan developed under section 202
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of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of
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1976 and that have been nominated for leasing
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through the submission of an expression of interest,
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are subject to drainage in the absence of leasing, or
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are otherwise designated as available pursuant to
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regulations adopted by the Secretary.’’ after ‘‘sales
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are necessary.’’.
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(b) QUARTERLY LEASE SALES.—
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(1) IN GENERAL.—In accordance with the Min-
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eral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.), each fiscal
5
year, the Secretary of the Interior shall conduct a
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minimum of four oil and gas lease sales in each of
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the following States:
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(A) Wyoming.
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(B) New Mexico.
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(C) Colorado.
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(D) Utah.
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(E) Montana.
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(F) North Dakota.
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(G) Oklahoma.
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(H) Nevada.
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(I) Alaska.
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(J) Any other State in which there is land
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available for oil and gas leasing under the Min-
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eral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.) or any
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other mineral leasing law.
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(2) REQUIREMENT.—In conducting a lease sale
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under paragraph (1) in a State described in that
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paragraph, the Secretary of the Interior shall offer
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all parcels nominated and eligible pursuant to the
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requirements of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C.
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181 et seq.) for oil and gas exploration, develop-
2
ment, and production under the resource manage-
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ment plan in effect for the State.
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(3) REPLACEMENT SALES.—The Secretary of
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the Interior shall conduct a replacement sale during
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the same fiscal year if—
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(A) a lease sale under paragraph (1) is
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canceled, delayed, or deferred, including for a
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lack of eligible parcels; or
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(B) during a lease sale required under
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paragraph (1) not more than 25 percent of the
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area offered for leasing receives a bid.
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(4) NOTICE REGARDING MISSED SALES.—Not
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later than 30 days after a sale required under this
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subsection is canceled, delayed, deferred, or other-
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wise missed the Secretary of the Interior shall sub-
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mit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the
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House of Representatives and the Committee on En-
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ergy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report
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that states what sale was missed and why it was
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missed.
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Æ
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